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Press release

Minister Donnelly welcomes first meeting of diabetes review group aimed at improving services for people living with diabetes

The Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly has welcomed the first meeting of the Diabetes Policy and Services Review Group, recently established by him.

The Diabetes Policy and Services Review is charged with providing a report to the Minister within six months; identifying any gaps in current diabetes services as well as a set of actions to improve service delivery and patient outcomes.

Approximately 300,000 people in Ireland are estimated to be living with diabetes, and it is the most prevalent chronic condition in those aged 45–75.

Minister Donnelly said:

"Diabetes is a major health challenge for our population, and managing diabetes is a major challenge for our health services.

"I have mandated the establishment of the diabetes policy and services review so we can improve patient outcomes, minimise the health complications associated with diabetes, and ensure that our health services are best organised to provide the patient care and support needed by people living with diabetes."

The review will build on recent government measures taken to improve Diabetes care in Ireland, including:

  • the roll-out since 2020 of the Chronic Disease Management (CDM) Programme which provides for structured and vertically integrated care of people living with chronic diseases (Diabetes, COPD, Asthma, and chronic heart diseases)
  • the addition of women who have had Gestational Diabetes or Pre-Eclampsia to the CDM in 2023
  • the provision of funding to establish a National Diabetes Register, which is essential to fully understand the scope of Diabetes in Ireland and to aid the design of future Diabetes programmes

The first meeting of the stakeholder group to support the work of the review was held on 3 July 2024 and included representatives from a wide range of medical and healthcare professions as well as patient advocates. It is anticipated that this stakeholder group will hold two further meetings in 2024.

In welcoming the review, Diabetes Ireland’s CEO Kieran O’Leary said:

"This is fantastic news for the diabetes community. We have been waiting a long time for this and we are thrilled that the Minister for Health has responded positively to our request to set up a review of diabetes services.

"For the first time, we now have an opportunity to develop a plan for current and future diabetes care that sits within the new HSE structures but is much more efficient and effective in ensuring it fully meets the needs of the diabetes community and improves access to care for all people living with diabetes nationwide. I would like to acknowledge the support of those who helped us to advocate for this service review as it would not have happened without you."

The Steering Group leading the review, which includes representatives from the Department of Health, the Health Service Executive (HSE), and Diabetes Ireland, has already met several times.

Notes

Terms of Reference (ToR): Diabetes Policy and Services Review Group

The Department of Health will lead a Steering Group with the HSE (the Diabetes Policy and Services Review Steering Group) to be responsible for the overall coordination of the review and the development of a report and action plan. It is expected that the Steering Group will be comprised of about six members, involve external expertise and/or facilitators as needed.

The Steering Group will be supported by clinical, policy and stakeholder consultation groups.

The Steering Group will:

  • undertake a review of existing diabetes services delivered in the public health service, identify weaknesses and gaps, and develop a set of actions to improve service delivery and patient outcomes
  • identify and develop policy priorities (Department of Health to lead)
  • assess clinical services and identify necessary service improvements (HSE to lead)
  • complete a costing of policy proposals and proposed service enhancements
  • ensure that improvements to service delivery and policy proposals take account of new HSE regional structures
  • complete a consultation with external stakeholders, to include Diabetes Ireland and patient representatives, as part of the review
  • complete a review of Diabetes services and the development of a diabetes action plan within six months of the commencement of the Group’s work. The Steering Group will submit a report, including key findings, recommendations, and an action plan to the Minister for Health following the conclusion of its work

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